Living Words

the long version

In response to post-modern anxieties about the fragility of language, Terence J. Martin's work offers a series of readings of literary dialogues on religion for the sake of understanding the fascinating drama of religious discourse. Aware of the tendency for talk about religion to deteriorate into confusion and rancor, the author argues that a way to move beyond such impasses may spring from an appreciation for the genre of literary dialogue. It is the author's belief that a turn to the dialogue form offers important opportunities for understanding the pitfalls of religious discourse, while instructing readers in the art of coherent and civil religious conversation. In particular, Martin commends the habit of critical thinking, an appreciation for irony, and an irenic approach to opposition as helpful stances for improving people's efforts to talk about religion. In addressing rhetorical and hermeneutical issues commonly found in philosophical theology and the philosophy of religion, this work's approach through the genre of dialogue will interest those concerned with the intersection of religion and literature.